Lisa Latta has a strong hand to play at Hastings on Saturday with a team of eight entered for the premier meeting, including Authentic Paddy and Five To Midnight in the group one Livamol Classic (2040m).
Latta can't fault Five To Midnight, who heads in to the feature race having won the Fasttrack Insurance 2000m open handicap at Hastings at his last start.
"He's definitely come up a lot stronger this year," Latta said yesterday.
"We didn't give him that long off out in the wet and his summer coat is there now. He just looks amazing but it's going to be a big step up to weight-for-age for him."
Competing at weight-for-age conditions is something in which his stablemate Authentic Paddy is well versed.
The nine-year-old has been running well without luck but will be reunited with jockey Trudy Thornton, who won the group one Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic on him in December last year, replacing Ryan Elliot who has been on-board for his last two starts.
"Having Trudy back on will be a big assist, he needs a strong rider," Latta said.
"He's just had no luck and all two starts back in, he got held up when he needed to get going and then he just got too far back at Hastings the other day.
"He's really well, I couldn't be happier with him, his work has been very good."
Latta is undecided on whether she will have two or three runners in the group two Sacred Falls Hawke's Bay Guineas (1400m), with promising filly Princess Amelie also entered in the Bostock New Zealand Spring Carnival Finale (1400m).
"I paid up for both races hoping for a good draw and didn't get one in either," she said, having drawn 16 and 10 respectively.
